uwmgdman
Well-Known Member
Hey everyone,
We bought our first house in December, so November through much of February was spent packing, painting, unpacking, painting and painting. I can't wait to get back on the saddle and brew another batch, especially with a couple large consumption gatherings coming up.
Our old place had low 60s in the winter to a peak of upper 60s/near 70F in the basement in the later summer/early fall.
I'm not sure exactly how this basement will range but currently I have found the range to be 54-59F. You can see a potential problem or if you like, a potential blessing.
I was thinking of brewing an American IPA with a British Ale yeast, but the basement will be much too cold to try that with the yeast I wanted to use (those with a bit more character). I could probably get by with 1056 or Nottingham, temperature wise, but I've got a enough pale ale left with 1056.
An alternative would be to use the Cali Lager yeast or a Kolsch/Alt yeast. The temperature range would work and it would be a bit different, although certainly not British ale like.
But the temperature range got my brain going. What about a full blown lager yeast? I haven't done a lager before, well aside from the Cali lager yeast, but I consider that ale yeast. When the fermentation is done I could use a container and lager the beer in an ice bath in the basement. My biggest concern is fermenting at say 55-56F, on the high end of most any recommended lager ranges. Those of you that lager........what do you think? Regardless of this IPA or not, would that temperature range be ok for a ferment, or do you get noticeably better results in the upper 40s/low 50s?
I'm afraid being on that upper-end, throw a couple degrees extra during fermentation and I'll be pushing 60F.
We bought our first house in December, so November through much of February was spent packing, painting, unpacking, painting and painting. I can't wait to get back on the saddle and brew another batch, especially with a couple large consumption gatherings coming up.
Our old place had low 60s in the winter to a peak of upper 60s/near 70F in the basement in the later summer/early fall.
I'm not sure exactly how this basement will range but currently I have found the range to be 54-59F. You can see a potential problem or if you like, a potential blessing.
I was thinking of brewing an American IPA with a British Ale yeast, but the basement will be much too cold to try that with the yeast I wanted to use (those with a bit more character). I could probably get by with 1056 or Nottingham, temperature wise, but I've got a enough pale ale left with 1056.
An alternative would be to use the Cali Lager yeast or a Kolsch/Alt yeast. The temperature range would work and it would be a bit different, although certainly not British ale like.
But the temperature range got my brain going. What about a full blown lager yeast? I haven't done a lager before, well aside from the Cali lager yeast, but I consider that ale yeast. When the fermentation is done I could use a container and lager the beer in an ice bath in the basement. My biggest concern is fermenting at say 55-56F, on the high end of most any recommended lager ranges. Those of you that lager........what do you think? Regardless of this IPA or not, would that temperature range be ok for a ferment, or do you get noticeably better results in the upper 40s/low 50s?
I'm afraid being on that upper-end, throw a couple degrees extra during fermentation and I'll be pushing 60F.
